conduit off center in bay

[jpcjguy]

Hi all,

So i have made all my house side hookups and looking to install my 200A load center from Lowes (https://www.lowes.com/pd/Square-D-200-Amp-30-Spaces-60-Circuit-Main-Breaker-Plug-On-Neutral-Load-Center-Value-Pack/50311159 ).

I am thinking of mounting it upside down since that is where my feeder wires are coming from. It has the big knockouts in the center and found out they don't make a 2 1/2" offset PVC conduit fitting, max size is 2".
Suggestions? Wire size is 2/0 aluminum, I guess I could reduce to 2" conduit and then use the 2" offset coupling, or just angle the 2.5" conduit some?
Don't want the inspector to ding me for something...

 

[pattenp]

You are fine reducing to 2" and using the offset. Or you can try to use a heat gun and bend the 2.5in pipe.

 

[L79Chevelle]

I used a heat gun on mine, works pretty well and only took a few minutes.

 

[sberry]

Is this going to be covered? I might even stick a pipe in a jig over night, maybe heat it a little but if its 3 ft or so to the box will bend that much, if its covered no one can see it.
I might even be temped to cut it a little out of square so the coupling will **** a little. The 2/0 will go thru that connector easy though.

 

[ard]

Cut a piece that will fit in your oven, heat it to 180F. Take it out and place it into a jig that will give you the offset you need. maybe even a long piece and seal around the oven door, so you heat up only the end, so you can eliminate a coupling....

 

[jpcjguy]

Thanks for the suggestions. I was also thinking of heating it by sticking it in front of my torpedo heater, rotating it like a rotisserie. I like the jig idea also!

 

[Norcal]

Hi all,

So i have made all my house side hookups and looking to install my 200A load center from Lowes (https://www.lowes.com/pd/Square-D-200-Amp-30-Spaces-60-Circuit-Main-Breaker-Plug-On-Neutral-Load-Center-Value-Pack/50311159 ).

I am thinking of mounting it upside down since that is where my feeder wires are coming from. It has the big knockouts in the center and found out they don't make a 2 1/2" offset PVC conduit fitting, max size is 2".
Suggestions? Wire size is 2/0 aluminum, I guess I could reduce to 2" conduit and then use the 2" offset coupling, or just angle the 2.5" conduit some?
Don't want the inspector to ding me for something...

Use a heat gun as already mentioned, and it is not “upside down” it is either top fed or bottom fed.

A weed burner works to bend PVC but better be good otherwise scorch marks will be a dead giveaway on how it was bent, a heat gun is going to be the best of the non code compliant bending methods, you will have some working time but not a lot, if it is really cold then it will be a real PITA do, after getting the desired offset a wet rag will set it. Code compliant methods are tools made for the purpose such as a hot box or blanket, while I prefer to stay with code requirements the cold hard reality is who wants to spend serious money for a one time use tool.

 

[Zeke]

You can do some fancy bending by placing a section of conduit over a piece of rebar and hold that over a heat source until you see the correct temp using an infrared laser or by feeling when it becomes supple. At that point remove the pipe (with your gloves!) and bend around a form and douse with cool water.

If the pipe tends to flatten or collapse, it's too hot. However, you can bend up to 6" pipe this way using some secured plugs or caps and about 3 lbs air pressure to hold the pipe open while bending. Doesn't work so well with Sch 40 or 80 in 1/2 or 3/4". Just bend those freely slowly and carefully heated just right.

That's where the rotisserie effect comes in using the rebar for even heat distribution. It's really too easy if you have everything on hand and the whole process costs nothing but some plugs and an air fitting for the larger sizes.

I used to have a shop next door to a company that bent conduit to order — any size, any radius. This is how they did it. And for some homemade gear, check out this guy:

 

[sparky 1971]

I would use the torpedo heater. I did that myself one day when I took off and left the hot box and my heating blankets in the shop. Just make sure that you keep the pipe moving and far enough away that the flame doesn't actually touch the pvc. A heat gun would probably work, but I imagine it would take forever to get 2 1/2" hot enough to offset. I myself have never tried a heat gun on anything bigger than 3/4, so I admit to ignorance. I doubt the offset is big enough to worry about kinking the pipe, but you could duct tape the ends shut just in case.
Wear gloves, and have water on hand to dump on the pipe when the offset is made or you will be holding it for what seems like an eternity. Even better would be to have someone else pour water on while you hold it.

 

[ard]

Could you also cap one end and dump in boiling water? 212F should do it. Of course then cooling it off isnt as simple as a quick spray w a hose.

 

[sberry]

That offset will work, I think they make one glue both ends. That wire will go thru the one in the pic too,,, but as I mention earlier, if it's covered simply bend it a little. I have put a steel ******* in the box with a nut and a coupling and use it as a tool and bend it, the steel a little, just a fuzz.
The wire really doesn't know if the pipe isn't perfect straight.

 

[wssix99]

I am thinking of mounting it upside down since that is where my feeder wires are coming from.

Be careful when you do this around the main cutoff orientation.

Our electrician did this on our house and we failed inspection (after we fired the electrician - for stuff like this) because the vertical breaker cut off by flipping upwards. I had to purchase a (very expensive) new reversible main breaker to solve the problem.

^ So, you'll want to check code on the flip and if you have a vertical cutoff, make sure that it's reversible.

 

[Bert_]

Be careful when you do this around the main cutoff orientation.

Our electrician did this on our house and we failed inspection (after we fired the electrician - for stuff like this) because the vertical breaker cut off by flipping upwards. I had to purchase a (very expensive) new reversible main breaker to solve the problem.

^ So, you'll want to check code on the flip and if you have a vertical cutoff, make sure that it's reversible.

Pretty much all of the load centers available today have a main that operates side to side. That eliminates any issues from flipping the panel over.

20 years ago a lot of the mains operated vertically. Then it was an issue.

 

[Norcal]

Be careful when you do this around the main cutoff orientation.

Our electrician did this on our house and we failed inspection (after we fired the electrician - for stuff like this) because the vertical breaker cut off by flipping upwards. I had to purchase a (very expensive) new reversible main breaker to solve the problem.

^ So, you'll want to check code on the flip and if you have a vertical cutoff, make sure that it's reversible.

Most loadcenter main breakers ON/OFF handles operate side to side now, so there is no right side up/upside down orientation, merely top or bottom feed.

 

[jpcjguy]

So i played with the torpedo heater yesterday and was able to make a reasonable bend. Worked easier than I thought!

Next question is about the 3 way wire to the house to control some of the exterior garage lights. That 1" stub below the panel is for that wire. Trying to determine best course of action there. Do I use THWN? but then what do I do in the wall? Run the conduit up into the panel and then change to Romex there and come out the top of the panel to the junction box in the attic?
Or Run UF-B the whole way and drill into the next bay and run up into the attic space to the junction box?

 

[Norcal]

So i played with the torpedo heater yesterday and was able to make a reasonable bend. Worked easier than I thought!

Next question is about the 3 way wire to the house to control some of the exterior garage lights. That 1" stub below the panel is for that wire. Trying to determine best course of action there. Do I use THWN? but then what do I do in the wall? Run the conduit up into the panel and then change to Romex there and come out the top of the panel to the junction box in the attic?
Or Run UF-B the whole way and drill into the next bay and run up into the attic space to the junction box?

Put a box under the panel & change to Romex®, to make is a bit easier to access the box do another offset so the box is flush with the stud, & use a ring to match whatever is going to be used for the walls.

 

[jpcjguy]

Put a box under the panel & change to Romex®, to make is a bit easier to access the box do another offset so the box is flush with the stud, & use a ring to match whatever is going to be used for the walls.

So run the conduit to a gang box like used for an outlet and change to romex in that? Then when I drywall just have a blank plate over it? If that is what you mean, that could be an option.
Or can I run the conduit up to the panel and use that as my "junction box" to change to romex?

 

[Bert_]

So run the conduit to a gang box like used for an outlet and change to romex in that? Then when I drywall just have a blank plate over it? If that is what you mean, that could be an option.
Or can I run the conduit up to the panel and use that as my "junction box" to change to romex?

Just run it into the panel. No reason for a another box and it leaves you options down the road if you want to use the conduit for other stuff.

 

[Innovate1]

I tried boiling water and had trouble bending above about 1" diameter conduit because the water cooled off too much heating the pipe. Wanted some long sweeps and hard to get it even with a torch. I ran steam from a teakettle though some larger pipe. Just a little steam flow and in about 3 minutes it was very flexible. Seemed to be just the right amount of softness. Not quite as quick to rig up but worked really well.

Seems like for the OP the amount of angle could have been handled by a little give in the couplings but the bend looks good too.

 

[sberry]

Looks really good, nothing wrong with that.